Barbara

A renowned writer encounters a disheveled woman in Shinjuku Station who recites French poetry. She calls herself Barbara and becomes a fixture in his life, challenging his self-importance and shielding him from adversaries. As he becomes increasingly fixated on uncovering her past, he navigates encounters with criminals, tormenters, supernatural curses, and legendary creatures, questioning his own mental state. Created in 1973 and 1974, the work draws inspiration from Jacques Offenbach’s opera *Tales of Hoffmann*. It is considered one of the creator’s most psychologically intense and disturbing pieces, exploring the boundary between creativity and insanity with skillful execution.

Traduzione in corso — testo originale in inglese.